The Physiologic Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Sarcopenic Obesity



Status:Active, not recruiting
Conditions:Healthy Studies, Obesity Weight Loss, Orthopedic
Therapuetic Areas:Endocrinology, Orthopedics / Podiatry, Other
Healthy:No
Age Range:60 - 99
Updated:3/1/2019
Start Date:September 22, 2017
End Date:December 2019

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Obesity is highly prevalent in older adults and is a major cause of sarcopenia and disability
in older adults. Although exercise can counteract the effects of obesity and sarcopenia, many
have difficulty adhering to an exercise program and the benefits of exercise are variable.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to test novel pharmacologic interventions to prevent
disability and loss of independence. Oxytocin is a pituitary hormone released during
parturition and lactation that is also known to suppress appetite in rodents and humans; and,
recent small studies have found that intranasal oxytocin reduces body weight in adults. We
propose a pilot study of intranasal oxytocin as a novel approach to promote weight loss and
increase muscle mass in older subjects with sarcopenic obesity.

The pilot study will be conducted at 3 sites in 9 visits over a period of 12+ weeks. Older
sedentary subjects will be screened for sarcopenic obesity using a modified consensus
definition and evaluated at baseline for safety labs, glucose tolerance, body composition,
cognition and physical performance, as well as systemic inflammatory markers in blood and
muscle tissue.

Eligible subjects self-administer 24 IU intranasal oxytocin four times a day for 8 weeks.

The study will examine whether the intervention will promote weight loss and preserve muscle
mass, thereby preserving and/or improving physical function in older subjects with sarcopenic
obesity.

Generalized linear mixed effects model will be used to evaluate the effect of oxytocin on the
change of each continuous measure. The effect of oxytocin will be assessed by whether the
time by oxytocin interaction is significantly different from 0 with a 2-sided p-value<0.05.

Inclusion Criteria:

- BMI 30-40 kg/m2

- Sedentary (< 2 strenuous exercise/week)

- Gait speed < 1 meter/second

Exclusion Criteria:

- Diabetes (ADA criteria)

- Heart disease (MI or New York Heart Classification grade III-IV)

- Poorly controlled hypertension (SBP > 170 or DBP >95 mm/Hg)

- Anemia (Hematocrit <34%)

- Renal Disease (Serum Creatinine >1.4, abnormal serum sodium levels, abnormal
urinalysis, or physical exam findings indicative of fluid imbalance; individuals with
underlying disorder of sodium/water balance, such as SIADH, diabetes insipidus, or
psychogenic polydipsia)

- Liver Disease (AST/ALT/AlkPhos > 2x upper limit of normal)

- Use of systemic steroid, androgens, or anti-coagulants

- Active/unstable conditions: inflammatory, thyroid, autoimmune, gastrointestinal (GI),
hematologic, or neoplastic disorders

- Individuals with underlying seizure disorder or underlying neurologic disorder that
increases seizure risk

- Cognitive impairment (MiniCog <3), unstable mental illness, substance abuse, or
history of eating disorder
We found this trial at
1
site
701 S Zarzamora
San Antonio, Texas 78207
Phone: 210-617-5197
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mi
from
San Antonio, TX
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